Fine Lines
by Shadow Cael
Summary: A series of one-shots that follow a woman in her twenties, who comes across a scene that will change her life and the lives of those connected to the creatures known collectively as Pokemon. OC main character. Realistic. Enjoy.
1. Prologue: A Storm to Herald Change

Prologue

Part I - A Storm to Herald Change

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><p>The moment when dark rumor becomes reality is always chilling.<p>

Screaming and hating the trainer ordered one of his charges to attack the Seviper coiled across from him. Lashes made of vine beat into the serpent's thick scale hide, the trainer's words cutting and slicing away what glowing optismism the pokemon had left.

I stood frozen under the umbrella held tightly in my hands, rain cascading around me as if to shield me from the brutality. Clad only in my black work uniform, thick-soled and sensible sneakers, full-length pant with leather belt, button-down shirt with long sleeves, I felt as if I were a mourner pondering the death of this relationship.

With a final acid comment the trainer turned away from the serpant, carelessly dropping a black and yellow sphere into the muck behind him. His Grovyle companion walked behind him one step and to the right, as if a dutiful wife. Together they faded into the monochrome horizon of the storm.

A full minute passed before I dared to take a single step further down the slick muddy path, closer to my home and the motionless Seviper. It is said in most situations the first step is the hardest, but as I stood there I disagreed. Many have told me that they find my courage to be borderline insane, but that is because they do not understand how I view the world.

After that single step, I saw the world through the tears pouring from the sky and the tears flowing down my face.

The Seviper unmoving against a backdrop of a heartless world, suffocating itself with a silence known only to those who have no words for what they feel. A tableu that I could not simply walk by as I know others have, claiming it is no business of theirs. Call me a bleeding heart, I care not, for I witnessed an act that I saw as unforgivable.

"Seviper...do you want me to help you?" My second step followed.

The pokemon did not react physically, nor did I hear any verbal response. I took that as a sign that it would not object to me moving closer. Still, I stepped deliberately and loudly until I was quite sure I was within striking distance. I could see now that the slitted eyes were focused on the sphere the trainer had tossed.

"I'm going to share my umbrella with you, Seviper. In order to do that I have to be right next to you. If you don't want me to be there, please let me know." I made sure to project my voice so I was sure it could hear me. After a twenty second count, I was true to my word. Though there was no way the umbrella could fit the entirety of myself and the serpent underneath it, I made sure that both our heads were covered.

There we stood for a long while, until the rain stopped.

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><p>Author's Note: [chuckles] I realize that this first chapter is short, and I will say that the Prologue parts will probably continue to be so. When I begin the first arc, the chapters will be much longer than this (around 2500 words at least) as I find it harder to keep a chapter short than make them longer.<p>

I encourage you to leave me reviews with your opinions and observations, as writers are akin to trees; if you fertilize them with enough reviews and water them with opinions they shall continue to reach skyward.


	2. Prologue: Unfamiliar Territory for Both

Prologue

Part II - Unfamiliar Territory for Both

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><p>Of all the things I had planned on doing this weekend, bringing home an eight foot long poisonous snake was not one of them.<p>

Cordially inviting him to make use of anything he needed to in my apartment, I headed upstairs and shed my workclothes. After both the seven hour shift at my job and seeing such a...heavy scene I needed the peace of mind that stemmed from knowing you were completely dirt free. Stepping into the shower I let my hands take care cleaning as my mind considered what I should do next.

_Right. Seviper. In my apartment._ With any luck it wouldn't have destroyed anything by the time I got back to down there. _What do Seviper eat anyway?_ Hopefully, it wasn't anything expensive. I kept a constant eye on my accounts and I breathed a sign of reflief knowing that I had an extra hundred currently stored away. Being a waitress didn't pay much, but I had covered enough shifts to create a nice surplus.

_Would Pokechow work? _I shuddered. That stuff looked...blarg. _Maybe I should just take him shopping. I'm sure __something__ at the store would be appealing._ That, and it'd probably be a change from whatever stuff that asshole-jerkface-trainer-assface fed him. I jumped as something dropped onto my foot. Looking down I realized that I was squeezing my conditioner to death.

_I may have the strength of a 6 year old, but damn if I don't stop myself from punching him anyway._ Just thinking about striking him made me feel good.

_Okay - refocus. _There is a Seviper in my living room. Where was he going to sleep? _I can get one of the spare comforters and let it sleep on the couch._ Do snakes sleep on couches? _I'll ask. If not, get more creative._ Food, check. Bed, check. _Only thing left is...to figure out what to do with it-_

I smacked myself mentally. _That was a rude thought. Like I was planning on burying the body._ Just because it was snake-shape and not human-shape didn't mean it was unintelligent. She'd heard that pokemon were smart _and_ dumb. Which was contradictory. _So I'll find out which one is which before I make assumptions_.

As I towel dryed, I went over the information I needed to get. Like some incorrectly identified people with attention-deficit-disorder the problem was not being unable to focus for long periods of time, but rather it was the trait of thinking through things so quickly that by the time I reach the end I had forgotten where I started. I pulled on a tank-top and pajama bottoms over my underclothes, and walked back towards the stairs. It was time to face the moment.

My eyes found Seviper fairly easily, draped and coiled over my couch. It's head was tucked next to the arm rest, the yellow and black sphere cradled next to it. Now that I had the presence of mind to think about it, it looked like a pokeball. Oddly colored, but I didn't see any reason why it couldn't be a pokeball just because of that. Snagging a bar stool away from my kitchen counter I took a seat two feet from it.

"Okay. I've never had a pokemon...ever." It's attention was on me now, its forked tongue flicking the air. That's how they smelled right? With taste? _Hopefully it doesn't mind citrus body wash_ "So...I don't know what to feed you." Wait, an even better question. "Are you hungry?"

The black head shook side to side in a negative. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to add something else to my mental list of questions. At least I knew it could answer yes or no. _That makes this a hundred times easier_.

"I'm sorry, I just realized I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Gail." I waved a hand in greeting, figuring that it didn't do handshakes.

It replied with an extended hiss, dipping its head once.

"...not to be rude...but are you a girl?"

The head tilted to the side, and then it shook a negative.

"Thank you, now I know how to properly refer to you in my head. It was weird thinking of you as an it. Just...weird." I made a face, a mix of annoyance and resignation. He simply looked back at me, tongue flicking.

I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. A woman with long brown hair, and brown eyes hidden behind a set of rectangle lenses? A broad shouldered human who was too skinny to be any use in carrying him around if he was unconcious? Maybe a big heat spot? I had heard that serpents saw the world by heat.

I really needed to get on the internet and look up Seviper.

"Okay. You good with sleeping on that couch tonight?" I pointed where he was.

Seviper nodded his head, coils shifting.

"Do you want a blanket?"

He just looked at me.

"Well...I'll leave one out in case you get cold. We can go shopping tommorrow, and you can pick out what you want to eat. That okay with you?"

A single nod.

"Ahuh. Okay. Then...not to pry...or make you feel rushed...but...do you have any idea what you are going to do now? Since...you uh...not to be offensive...don't have a trainer-"

He moved so fast, I didn't even realize it until his fangs were not but an inch from my face, warm breath along with a loud hiss assaulting my senses. I froze, not daring to move out of concern that it could end bad for me.

"I didn't mean to make you mad," I said quietly ", I just want to know if you know what you are going to do next." I pulled my courage to me, trying to make sure I didn't get too far ahead of myself. "You can stay here for a few days to think, I'm completely fine with that." I dared to look him in the eye now. "But focus on what happened for much longer than that, and you may get stuck in a cycle of hurt that would be very hard to shake."

Seviper's head tilted to the side, as if considering what I was saying. His red eyes were still looking straight on at me, and I ruthlessly crushed the urge to shiver. I didn't think it would believe me if I said I was just cold. Then with slow movement, his head pulled back to the previous spot it held on the couch, coils readjusting and sliding.

"Right. I'll go get you that blanket before I forget." That was a smooth retreat if I do think so myself. Get the blanket, then fire up the desktop and start researching. I didn't want to be caught off-guard if he starting using more...exotic and deadly ways of attacking. And space. He probably needed space.

_I have a moody and poisonous pokemon in my living room. _I slowly exhaled in to keep myself calm. _But I guess there are a lot less interesting ways to die if it comes to that._ He was going through a tough time, and damn if I was going to let him go through that alone. A trainer abandoning his pokemon was one of the cardinal sins of pokemon training, I knew that much for sure. I didn't want Seviper to be crushed and forever hateful to the world because of a single moment of his entire life. My fists clenched around the comforter, and I had to think really hard at them to ease up.

_The next time I see that guy, I am going to make sure that he understands what he did - even if I have to cuss every other word to do it._

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><p>Author Note: I am much more satisfied with the length of this part. I will impart that I have no set update schedule for this story as of yet, so updates will probably have varying lengths between them. I do hope you are having as much fun reading this as I am writing this [big grin].<p> 


	3. Prologue: Evident Truths

Prologue

Part III - Evident Truths

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><p>Going to the grocery store the next day was absolutely the most memorable shopping experience I ever had.<p>

Having never had a pokemon in my care before I had never crafted a decided view about them. My policy is to keep to the facts and not form an opinion until I had experience with the unknown person, item, or concept.

Fact: People reacted negatively to Seviper entering the store with her. Elaboration: Fear, nervousness, attempting to ignore him. Point: Despite their emotion people were not moved to try get us to leave the store despite their discomfort. Ergo: Seviper and I had a good six foot wide bubble of space to ourselves as we shopped.

Maybe the fact that Seviper was still holding his ultra ball- _The internet is so damn handy_- in his mouth made others think that in order make him safe they had to wrestle him for it. I laughed out loud. Shoppers shot looks at me through narrowed or fearful eyes.

_I feel like we're a pair of punks who wandered in the store and are looking to start something._ An amused grin was on my face as the two of us moved from aisle to aisle. Just because he had huge fangs and a blade tail didn't mean he was going to maim everything in the store.

_If this were reversed though..._if I was the one who walked in and found a Seviper and his trainer wandering through the store, what would have been my reaction? Startled, certainly. Not a sight you see everyday. Probably a bit nervous. _I'd have watched them for a minute or two. _Evaluate their actions. Then either decide to come back another day or continue shopping while watching the two of them go about their business

With a sigh, I decided to dismiss the other shoppers from my thoughts. Their reactions were understandable. Seviper would never win a cute ribbon from the coordinators.

"Okay...so what would you like to eat for the next couple of days?" I posed the question nonchalantly, remaining neutral. Standing in the open space running perpendicular to the numbered aisles gave a great view of what was in each one.

Seviper looked at me for a beat longer than I was comfortable with, then he slithered slowly by the end caps of each aisle. As soon as he found the pokechow, he turned into the aisle and disappeared from my view.

"Why isn't it in the pokeball?" an irate whisper caught my attention. Turning my head towards the woman, I found her peering from around the wall of another aisle. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you so concerned that he isn't?"

"Because he could hurt people! Waving that tail about like he owns the place." Muffled giggling sounded behind the woman, and a little boy poked his head out as well.

"But, Mama, he's so cool."

"Hush, Jeff. Get back in the cart and stay there. You don't know where its been." The woman chastised her son in a low voice, picking him up and moving out of sight despite her words.

"Awww... I wanted to meet him-"

"Well it doesn't want to meet you." The sound of a cart moving farther away echoed back down the aisle. A pool of sadness seemed to form in my chest.

_She didn't even acknowledge him as a person_- My thought slammed into a brick wall at that. I thought of Seviper as a person? _He's a pokemon not a..._ this time my thought trailed off.

What was the definition of a person? Noun, denoting the status of being human, connotations suggest the status of being a reasoning and thinking being.

My observation of Seviper definitely supported the connotation. He understood everything I was saying, was even affected by it emotionally. Responded with head movements as he could not speak back. His vocal chords could not reproduce human speech as far as I was aware. Hell, I just sent him off to get food and he went straight to pokechow.

It wasn't just that the woman didn't think of him as a person...her word choice suggested that she didn't think him anywhere near her level of thinking. Accused him of being dangerous when he hasn't even scratched or damaged anything in the store. Didn't even give her son the chance to meet Seviper. Judging him before meeting him.

_How could she act so callously?_ I was called back to a recent time and place where Seviper had been subjected to more than callousness. His trainer had treated him like a tool who had failed at its purpose. The woman had treated Seviper like a dangerous beast.

For all that the Pokemon League promoted friendship, freedom, and happiness by being a trainer, the truth of how many people viewed pokemon was no where near that shining mix of positive spirit.

Seviper moved back into my line of sight distracting me from such morbid thoughts. I had to hold back a chuckle as I observed him pushing a good sized bag of pokechow across the smooth floor, his multicolored head steadily herding the bag closer to me. There was a scratch near the top of the bag, but it hadn't tore open.

_See? And you thought he was dangerous._ I thought hard at the woman, hoping she could see this.

"You want this bag of pokechow?" I asked, keeping my tone bland.

Seviper nodded his head twice.

"You sure? I'm willing to buy you _anything_ you want to eat. Even food you haven't eaten before," I double-checked with enthusiasm.

There was a one second hesitation before he nodded this time. I pounced on it.

"You like eating pokechow that much?"

His eyes betrayed him, looking past my shoulder before flicking back to my face with a nod. Turning to follow his gaze, I found the cold sections behind me. Cheese, butter, cream, yogurt, eggs-

_"Natural prey for a Seviper include various small pokemon and their eggs."_ I remembered reading from the internet. My eyes moved back to his with a smile.

"Do you want to get some eggs, too? If you don't like them you can eat the pokechow," I coaxed smoothly, the mask I reserved for serving customers on my face before I could blink.

He shifted his coils as he looked past me at the eggs again.

"I like them anyway, so if you don't eat them I will," I pointed out helpfully.

As we faced each other, I felt as if I was missing something. For fear of provoking him to deny wanting eggs I stayed silent and relaxed. My gaze remained on Seviper, not wanting to miss his response. A slow hiss came from him, his tail turned slightly so that the blade was angled towards me. _He feels threatened? Or feels the need to defend himself?_ I didn't let the confusion show on my face.

He gave me a slow nod of his head.

"Alright. I'll get two just in case." I turned by back to him warily, my ears straining to pick up even a whisper of scale moving across the floor. With practiced ease, I moved to the cartons and opened them to scrutinize each egg individually. A moment or two later I tensed as I heard his body slide closer, along with the sound of paper- _ah, the pokechow bag._ When the movement stopped his head entered my peripherals, tongue flicking out. He maneuvered his head over the side of the cooler and peered at the eggs I was handling.

"I'm checking to make sure none of them are cracked before we buy them. If they are , it could make us sick if we eat it," I explained, soothing my nervousness by imparting information. When Seviper made no other move than to watch me in the task, I relaxed.

_Feeling the need to defend himself was more likely_. I felt sadness again that he believed that he had to protect himself just because he expressed a want for something so simple as eggs. The urge to hug him almost got me, but I pushed it down. I didn't want to provoke him back into being defensive.

_His jerkface trainer probably never hugged him before_, I acknowledged sadly. That _ass_ probably thought it was too feminine or some other ridiculous reason for him to ever do.

Satisfied that the eggs met my standards, I gently picked up the two cartons and tucked them under my left shoulder. With my right hand I picked up the bag of pokechow.

"Let's pay for these, and go home." My eyes glanced around the store, and movement caught my attention by the entrance. The little boy from before was waving at us. My hands were full, but I smiled at him and gave him a bow of my head. Suddenly he started giggling with his eyes looking past me, and I followed them to see that Seviper was waving his tail back and forth at him.

The pokemon froze when he saw my eyes on him, and he looked down.

"Why'd you stop waving?" I spoke quietly, keeping my face amused. His coils rubbed together a bit, and realized I asked a question he couldn't say yes or no to. "I thought it was nice of you to wave back. You don't have to stop if I'm looking." With that I walked away from him as if I were unconcerned, meandering over to the checkout.

As we journeyed back to my apartment, my mind was assimilating the implications of what I had seen. My concern for Seviper was greater than it had been when we started, and the reactions of everyone around us triggered a sense of foreboding in my gut.

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><p>Author Note: I can now forecast that the prologue will end after three more parts. Then we'll move onto the main part where- [catches herself] Must. Not. Tell. Feel free to point out any grammatic or spelling errors you see, I will not be offended. I always enjoy tightening and polishing a story to make it better.<p>

A big thank you to NotJustAGirl for your encouragement. [big grin] It is all your fault that I was bouncing around unable to sleep for three hours [thumbs up].


	4. Prologue: Delayed Reactions

Prologue

Part IV - Delayed Reactions

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><p>We had two days of quiet monotony until Seviper lashed out.<p>

And I'm so scared right now, I'm shaking.

It started when we were talking a walk through town. I was keeping myself occupied by pointing out various shops and landmarks, telling him stories I recalled when I first moved here. He was with me when we turned back onto the main street, I remembered that for sure because he almost ran into a flower pot and I kept myself from laughing, but when I turned back a few minutes later he was nowhere I could see.

With frantic movements I traced back where I had walked and kept asking if anyone had seen where he went. I was halfway back to the flower pot when I heard screaming. I took a step back without thinking. My body was quite aware of my physical frailties.

People ran past me, shouting and panicked. A teenager tripped over his feet nearby and I moved to him with a purpose.

"What's going on?" I asked quickly, helping him get back to his feet.

"There's this huge pokemon going crazy in the Pokecenter! A trainer tried to battle it but it tore through his pokemon like they were paper," he panted out, his voice cracking. "I gotta get to the police station - I don't think the trainers there are strong enough." With that he bolted off as if he were being chased.

_No. It can't be. _But I couldn't afford to wait and see if Seviper would magically reappear safe and sound. _He doesn't know anyone else here, I can't leave him_. Breathing deeply I gathered my fear and shoved it away. Fear wouldn't help me find him. _But the adrenaline will keep me hyper aware._

I made my body walk down the road towards the Pokecenter, because I knew that if I started running it would be away. A bright colored object was hurled through the front window, and as it hit the ground and rolled I realized it was a body. A pokemon. It laid limp on the pavement. Dark liquid seeped from between yellow and green feathers.

_Oh god..._ I moved over to it and picked it up. It peeped weakly as I cradled the small bird in my arms. It reeked of acid and iron. _Please...no._ My arms trembled, not because of the pokemon as it weighed so little I barely noticed. They trembled in fear of what I would find if I moved through those doors. Unmoving bodies? People and pokemon crying in pain? Blood pooling underneath souls that had already fled?

_No._ I shook my head fiercly to throw such harrowing thoughts from me. _This has to stop. If I can help by pulling wounded pokemon away then I will._ Determination blossomed then, and I let it. I felt the emotion take root in every limb of my body and felt it nestle in my soul.

"Will you be okay if I put you around this corner?" My voice was quiet, as if trying not to draw any attention.

It peeped at me once.

I took that as an affirmative and settled it on the stoop of a nearby building. There was a low wall there so it would be protected if any wide range attacks went off.

"Stay low and out of sight. The police are on the way, okay?" I turned away as the last word left me, and I walked towards the Pokecenter with the image of that frail pokemon thrown through glass fueling my determination. The sliding doors opened with a cheerful jingle, but I only heard the very start of it as the music was swallowed by the sounds of violence.

There was Seviper in the middle of it all. His tail bashing and slapping anything that moved. A young girl with a set of pokeballs attacthed to her waist was calling commands to a dun colored pokemon with antlers brandished defensively in front of it.

"Keep it focused on you, Stantler! We have to let these people get out of here before they get hurt." The trainer called out, already resizing another pokeball "Furret, I choose you!" A long striped shape materialized and she issued the same orders.

Tearing my eyes away from Seviper and the girl I saw that there were some people low to the ground making their way quickly to me - no, the exit I was blocking. I removed myself from the doors and they slipped past me. A streak of color grabbed my attention and I realized the nurse was behind the counter, the Chansey attendant unconscious beside her.

"Stantler!"

My head whipped back to Seviper and I saw that his fangs were tangled in the dun pokemon's antlers. It made a low sound as it took a step forward, pawing the ground with another hoof.

_Why? Why would you do this?_ The striped pokemon hurled itself at Seviper and was batted away. _Sure, you got mad at me and threatened me that first day, but you didn't threaten anyone else._ As much as I tried to hold onto the whisps of anger that this sight smoked out of me, they lacked subtance. I didn't want to be mad at him. I was mad at all the violence, yes. It pissed me off to know that Seviper was beating up other pokemon without provocation-

_Unless there had been provocation. _Dammit. I was thrown off balance so badly I forgot my own skills. _Analyze faster._ Seviper never attacked first. In the grocery store he didn't strike me when he felt uncomfortable, and that first day he didn't even touch me. Scare me yes, hurt me no. I found him confronted by a trainer fighting and a group of scared people flighting. Maybe he frightened them by accident? The trainer was defending now, not attacking.

_Seviper struck at me when he was angry. What if these people made him angry?_ As I thought it I saw it then. That same look he gave me the first day as his fangs were centimeters from my eyes. He was angry. Beyond angry. Nothing held him back from striking down the pokemon around him. _He hadn't laid an edged scale on the trainer though._ I glanced back at the front counter. _Or a mark on her._ There was no strikes at me either.

The trainer fumbled a pokeball from her belt, almost dropping it as she pointed it towards her striped pokemon and recalled it. Seviper had beat it unconscious while I was standing there. The dun colored pokemon was panting now, head lowered and sides heaving. No more time for thinking. Fight or flight.

"Seviper!"

Blood red eyes were focused on me, and the nurse was yelling now. The trainer said something about running away, but I ignored her.

"Are you okay?"

He froze. I started walking forward. One step at a time.

"I can help you if it hurts. But I can't help you if you're attacking everything in sight." My voice quavered. I could feel myself shaking and I didn't try to hide it. "Being angry won't help...please...I want to help you."

No reaction.

"Please, Seviper," my breath hitched, and I stopped within his striking distance. "I don't know what's going on...but I trust you."

"Are you crazy?" the trainer screamed ", It went batshit and you trust the damn thing?"

"You're looking pretty damn crazy right now yourself," I shot back giving her an exaggerated once over for effect. The trainer looked down at her disheveled appearance and shaking hands.

"It beat my pokemon up! Am I supposed to run over there and hug it to death?" the sarcasm fell from her words like rain from a cloud.

"I don't expect you to do anything, but if you'd care to use your eyes you'd see he isn't attacking anymore." I looked over Seviper and saw that his jaw was open now, fangs clearly being displayed to everyone in the room. Something tugged on my thoughts, yanking them like a child pulling coat tails. He remained in the same position but had opened his mouth, a somewhat disturbing show of-_WAIT._

"Seviper. Where's your ultra ball?" I scanned the room quickly, and I didn't see any bright yellow to catch my attention. "Did you drop-"

He slammed into me so fast that I barely had time to scream, his coils curling around me and tightening. I felt his head bump into my chest as I took in ragged breaths with my fear holding me in place. Though I wanted to see what was going on, my eyes had shut the moment they saw Seviper fly through the air.

"Oh my god, it's crushing her" The trainer choked out and I heard her run away from me. A slow clopping sound followed after her, and I realized she had left her dun colored pokemon behind. _What an ass._

Though I had to admit to myself, being crushed to death was a lot less painful than I thought. The tightness was uncomfortable but I could still breath, and though I was shaking more than I ever had in my entire life I was still standing up.

I wasn't making that rattling exhale though. That was coming from below me. Opening my eyes I saw that Seviper had the right side of his face against my torso, and the only eye I could see was closed. The noise was coming from him. Now that I thought about it, I realized that the coils hadn't tightened further since that initial second, maybe he wasn't trying to crush me to death.

"Miss! Are you okay?" The voice was unfamiliar, but looking a the nurse I put sound and source together fairly quick.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just got scared." My fear was dissipating though, as I realized something else. Seviper was shaking too. I shifted my arms and I felt the coils there loosen a bit so I could shift them. My hands hugged his head to my chest.

"It's okay. I'm right here." I said quietly. His tongue flicked across my forearm. "Would you mind if I sat down?" The sudden feel of his dead weight made the floor seem that much nicer when I reached it.

"We can start looking for your ultra ball as soon as your ready," I told him quietly. "I'm sure they won't mind us looking before they clean up the place." Another thought struck me. "Ma'am? If your equipment isn't damaged, the bird pokemon that was thrown through the glass was bleeding last I left it. I put it on a stoop on the left side of the street."

"You'll be okay?" The nurse called back to me, actually standing behind the counter now that the threat was calmed.

"That pokemon needs your help more than we do." I took a deep breath. "We'll be here when you get back."

I could hear the full jingle as she stepped though the doorway. Seviper's head was in my lap now, and I ran my hands down his neck scales. As he didn't pull away from it, I kept at it with the hope that it helped. There was nothing here to frighten us now. No need to be scared.

Shouting and the sound of bells echoed through the broken window. _Great. The police are here with their pokemon._

Now all I had to do was figure out how to talk our way out of this.

* * *

><p>Author Note: And now the other shoe finally drops. We are now moving up to the effects of the first "chapter" 's cause.<p> 


	5. Prologue: When Law Matters Most

Prologue

Part V - When Law Matters Most

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><p>I have found a new savior in video cameras.<p>

In regulations with Pokemon League Pokecenter building codes there are always cameras placed in strategic locations throughout. The footage the police pulled up for evidence exonerated Seviper for the events that occured. A local press conference even showed the video to the public to erase any doubts of what happened inside, and there was an official Pokemon League representative there to explain Seviper's side of the story. The whole thing was done and over with by the afternoon of the next day.

I'll hand it to the League. They are no slouchers.

My educated guess as to Seviper being provoked was correct. For some reason he entered the Pokecenter, looked around, and the proceeded to basically explore every room he could find in the place. I noted that the ultra ball was still in his possession when he first appeared on camera. Then after he came back to the main lobby of the Pokecenter his movement was jerky and quick where he then accidentally collided with one of the people in the lobby. The person panicked and threw something at him. A young man over in the corner jumped up and threw a pokeball, a black and gray quadruped with a long trunk. The League official helpfully identified it as a Donphan. You could see the Chansey moving up to intercept. The trainer's pokemon curled into a ball and hit Seviper at high speed. He went still, didn't even react as the Donphan hit him again and driving him into a corner. I saw the ultra ball fall out of his mouth at the last hit and it rolled out of camera sight. The Chansey smacked the monochrome pokemon back and started gesturing for everyone to calm down.

That was when Seviper struck. His tail came around the side and slammed into the Chansey, sending it into the air and clear over the counter. Donphan charged in again at the trainer's orders and both of them were suprised to see Seviper slide out of the way and then flip the monochrome body onto its back. The flat of his tail blade then sent the Donphan across the lobby like a hockey puck, bouncing against walls and objects until it came to a stop and the pokemon did not get up again.

The kid from yesterday was right. Seviper took down the rest of that trainer's pokemon like they were made of paper, and by the time the video caught up to where I entered I was done watching. Thankfully, everyone was so entranced to see me walk through those doors with blood darkened arms that I made my exit without anyone the wiser that the object of their scrutiny moved among them.

My boss phoned me later that day and thanked me for the free publicity. Then asked if I'd be willing to pick up a shift the next day as Janine called in something about needing to take care of her aunt. I told him I'd call back.

I was being hailed as some sort of "Pokewhisperer" by my neighbors. Like I had performed a great miracle. My anger was faster than my control at one point, and I had replied to one of them with "Yes, it is very difficult to put words together in a complete sentance."

Their laughter pissed me off.

We had not gone unaffected though. The police asked that I keep Seviper inside my apartment for the next couple of days, and that I be available for further questions. I was cautioned against answering any inquiries about the incident, as they warned me that local reporters might try stopping by. There was no need for them to be concerned about that. I am not much of a social Butterfree. Unlike a fair number of my coworkers I am quite satisfied with the amusements my own life creates as opposed to taking fun from the lives of others. I had not expected the police to drop by my house again today, but after checking through the peephole to see who was calling at my door I found the primary officer handling the case and another gentlemen on my doorstep.

"What can I do for you today, sirs?"

"If you wouldn't mind, Miss Blumer, can we discuss this inside?" The officer politely stated, shooting a glance to the side to remind me that my neighbors were extremely curious today.

"Close the door behind us, please" I agreed, and walked into the living room first. Seviper peered curiously at me, his coils moving to bury the ultra ball underneath him as he spotted our guests. He was taking up the entire couch, so I gestured to the bar stool and recliner.

"No, but thank you for the offer," replied the gentlemen. It was then I realized that the officer was behind him. My eyes moved from the officer back to the gentleman, and I bent my mind to the task of studying him.

Brown long coat covered a collared shirt and a pair of grey jeans. Closed toe brown shoes and a matching belt with a set of pokeballs-

"You are the League official from earlier," I concluded aloud. He grinned at me, his closely trimmed mustache and beard echoing the movement.

"Yes. My name is Jake Harken, and it is quite a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blumer," his eyes moved away from me "and you as well, Seviper."

The serpent merely shifted and I watched Mr. Harken warily. He was not here for a simple hello. If he was, he would not have needed the officer.

"To business then. During the investigation it was discovered that you are not registered as Seviper's trainer. Would you please explain to me how he came to be in your care?" The smile was still on his face and his tone genial, but his eyes were a calculating blue.

I released the air in my lungs in one long exhale. Then I glanced over to Seviper, who was staring at where the ultra ball was hiding underneath him.

"Is it alright with you if I tell them?" I asked quietly.

Seviper slowly looked up at me, holding my eyes for some purpose. Then he nodded his head in permission.

"I was there when his trainer beat him down with another pokemon and threw Seviper's pokeball in the mud, claiming that Seviper was no longer one of his pokemon." I hadn't moved gaze away from Seviper. I wasn't comfortable looking that man in the eyes. "After he left, I offered to take him back to my place for a few days until he could sort out what he wanted to do." I checked the calendar on the wall. "That was last Tuesday."

"What kind of beating?" The question was mild, as if discussing the weather. My head snapped around in anger, brown eyes glaring. I saw Seviper shift out of the corner of my eye, his tail blade flashing as he moved it to a defensive position. Carefully, I pulled my anger aside. I hadn't realized he was taking cues from me.

"A Grovyle," I enunciated ",was hitting him with vines when I walked into view. The trainer was yelling and saying horrible things. Seviper...remained still with his head down."

Mr. Harken was watching me but the calculation was replaced with worry.

"You are saying that his trainer abandoned him, and that you were witness to this?"

"Yes."

"Did you know this trainer?"

"_No._"The officer raised an eyebrow at the amount of venom I injected into that word.

"Would you be able to point him out if I showed you a set of pictures?"

"Yes. Please."

Mr. Harken gestured, and the officer handed him a folder I hadn't noticed tucked under his arm. After flipping through a few pages he stopped on one and handed it to me. There was a set of twelve small pictures on it, all male and all facing forward. _ID pictures_. I flitted past each one by one, searching for the face that matched my memories, and on the third row I found him.

"Number eleven." I passed the page back to Mr. Harken. He was quiet for a minute as he looked at my choice. Maybe I picked the wrong one? _No. No way in hell. It was him._

"This is a serious accusation, Miss Blumer." His words were level now, no fake cheer. "Would you be willing to testify against this trainer?"

"Yes."

"Seviper, would you be willing to identify him?" We both looked at him, and found that Seviper had hidden his head. As I started to move over to him, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I dipped under it and knelt next to the couch to run my fingers lightly down his scales. A saw an eye between coils before it disappeared.

"No," I replied for him. His tongue flicked out before rejoining the rest of his head in hiding.

"Then I will make sure to put this in his League files," Mr. Harken informed me softly. "And I shall sign Seviper over to you officially." I gave him a confused stare. "It is clear to me that you will serve quite well as a civilian tier handler. Your behavior yesterday will be proof enough for the League, and what I have seen here is proof enough for me." He reached into an inner pocket of the jacket and pulled out a wallet. "This is for the cost of registration."

I was overwhelmed by this man's actions. "But why would you-"

"The most important thing to take care of at the present is keeping Seviper away from Mr. Casford." I filed that name away for future use in an eyeblink. "You having legal custody while we investigate the matter is completely within my power." He placed the bills on the bar, then moved one of my novels on top of them. "I will make sure that the correct paperwork will be waiting for you at the Pokecenter tomorrow. Feel free to fill them out at your earliest convenience."

"Now if you will excuse us, we have other business to attend to." He tipped an imaginary hat to me and exited my apartment, closing the door quietly behind him.

I stared at the door.

_That man...is a goddamn hurricane_.

I jumped as I felt something tap my hip. It was Seviper's tail, and he was looking at me without any of the tension he held earlier.

"Uh...do you need something?"

The ultra ball was made visible again. There was a tap to it. I raised an eyebrow.

"What about it?"

He pointed at me, and then tapped it again.

"Wait...you want me to have it?"

Seviper shook his head in a vigorous affirmative.

"You're okay with me having it?"

He tilted his head to the side, turned it back, and nodded once.

By this point my brain was fried. Including the action yesterday, the little amount of sleep I had gotten this morning, and today's events, my grey matter was not up to the task of processing anymore. So I just accepted it.

"Thank you, Seviper. I will always keep it safe," I spoke solemnly.

His tail wrapped around my right leg and squeezed, the blade pointedly turned away from me.

* * *

><p>Author Note: I can guarentee that the next part will be the last of the prologue. Everything that needed to be established will have been visible, and we can move onto the meat and drink of the main part. Which you will discover where that will be next "chapter." I can assure you- [smacks self] Curses. I just want to spill everything right here and now! I hope you are enjoying the read [thumbs up].<p> 


	6. Prologue: By Choice We Are Defined

Prologue

Part VI - By Choice We Are Defined

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><p>It was quite a relief to find out that the paperwork Mr. Harken set aside for me was only three sheets of paper. That and he wasn't being generous when he gave me money for registration fee. Four hundred dollars would not have been possible for me to cover on such short notice.<p>

The nurse who handed me the papers was the same nurse from back that day, and she handed them to me with a good morning and an inquiry to Seviper's current health. _Glad to see she doesn't hold grudges_. After taking my a headshot it was about twenty minutes after I finished filling it all out to hand me another laminated card to add to my wallet. _I actually look decent on this ID_.

I asked after the two trainers that were involved with the incident, and she responded helpfully that their pokemon were just fine. _Hmm. _Ask about people and get answers about their pokemon._ That actually made sense coming from a licensed pokemon nurse. _Pokemon answers? _That reminds me..._

"Where do you buy the accessories that hold pokeballs?" I certainly didn't have one, nor did the town actually possess a Pokemart. Those were always in cities whose names were found in bold on maps, not in ten size font.

"Actually, this center does sell basic trainer items here as well, but I've only got the traditional magnetic waist clip. Is that okay?"

"Of course." I was grateful for it actually. I had no reason to customize here. Usually that was left to actual trainers or kids with a bit of cash to crash with.

The fact that no one in the lobby gave any indication that they recognized me helped as well. To stick out and attract attention was the best way to get people to judge you. Paint me preferably un-judged. _My preference_. The fame lasted about forty-eight hours, as beyond that time frame the novelty of meeting me had worn off. That and I helped make it easier to forget by being a calm doe-eyed girl who was just very pleased she had been there to help those poor pokemon. The walk back to my apartment went by blissfully uninterrupted.

Seviper was watching TV again when came home. I was somewhat startled to see that he seemed to be completely focused on me walking through the door, despite the TV.

"...yeeeeees?" I drew the word out to distract from my discomfort.

His eyes moved down to my midsection. I followed them and found he was actually looking at the pokeball clip.

"Ah. I got it while I was at the Pokecenter."

The tail blade moved into my view, and he pointed it at the TV. There was a pokemon battle on that channel.

"I'm...not quite sure what you mean." Not the first or the last time that would happen.

He was still for a moment, thinking. Then he pointed at his pokeball, myself, and then back at the TV.

"...what about us and that battle?"

Seviper cycled through the same three gestures again, but at the end he swung his tail blade through the air and then showed his fangs.

"You want us to fight in that battle?"

He looked at me with head tilted, and then shook it slowly. Moving with a purpose, he shifted himself so that his coils took up only one half of the couch. Then he pointed at me and tapped the seat next to him. I had no idea what he was trying to say, but if he wanted me to sit next to him I could do that. My novel was in eyesight so it only a moment to gather it up and sit with my legs tucked under me next to him.

Absorbed as I was in my novel, it took a couple taps on my knee to get my attention when it was needed. Seviper pointed at the TV. There was a dashing young man with an official Pokemon League baseball cap and a waist clip with six pokeballs on it. A red lizard with a flame-tipped tail stood chest high next to him with a roguish toothy grin.

"Do you wanna be a Pokemon Trainer? 'Cause if you do it's really easy!" The guy pulled a pokeball off of his belt and let it roll across the back of his fingers and twist it around in a skillful sleight of hand. "First, you gotta have a friend." He tossed the pokeball over his shoulder and caught it without looking with the other hand behind his back. "Then you have to ask your permission from your parents." Here his face looked wise and wistful. "Because you don't want your parents to worry about you." A knowing laugh. "Then they call you everyday , even in the middle-!" The sound of a phone ringing cut him off and put on a smile on his face with a sigh. "Finally, head to your local Pokecenter. They can tell you where to register so you can get your official Pokemon League Trainer Card and badge case." Then a heroic pose, the red pokemon roaring challengingly. "And if you can get all eight badges from the approved gyms in your local League, you can fight for the title of Pokemon Master!" To my amusement, the camera pulled back and the two were joined by a small team of pokemon and other trainers whereupon they started signing a song about being a Pokemon Master and dancing to the beat. I had to admit the song was catchy.

My knee got tapped again and Seviper pointed at me, himself, and the TV. I was confused for a moment, but then what he was trying to say got across.

"Are you asking if I'm a trainer?" My head titled to the side, a little bewildered but curious.

He nodded quickly the corners of his mouth pulled in a smile. _Huh._ It struck me then that I had not seen him smile the entire time I knew him.

"Well...no...I just got registered to be allowed to keep you here." The smile faded from his face, and he nodded once. My mind grabbed wildly to try and figure out a way to keep that smile there.

"Does that mean you want to keep battling?" I blurted out with a little too much forced enthusiasm.

Seviper gave an energetic yes, nodding enough to move not only his head but a part of his upper body.

"I'll see if I can think of something then," I said on impulse. _Damn. Really? And how are you going to do that?_

His entire body seem to vibrate with happiness at the thought, and he wrapped me in a serpentine hug. He put his head in my lap, but he kept an eye on the TV so he could keep watching.

_There is no way you can back out of this now_. What was up with me? Acting on feeling without thinking through? That's how I always land in such situations. _He was so happy though..._ Of course I didn't want to snuff it out. Alright - refocus. How can I help Seviper with this? Though I didn't want to acknowledge it the answer was simple. _To do this __legally__ there is only one way. I wouldn't want him to do it any other way._ I had to be a pokemon trainer. _One thing though-_

"Are you interested in fighting at the pokemon league tournaments?"

His tongue tickled my knee as he pressed lightly against my lap twice.

A shiver went through me at the thought. Not because I was scared, but because of the enormity of becoming such a thing. If he wanted to fight in the League Tournaments held every year I would have to throw all of the familiar away. I'd need to give up my job and my apartment. There would be no guarantee of a hot meal unless I found a Pokecenter and those were usually towns apart. Self-sufficiency would be a must. Camping on the main road when done traveling for the day, no baths unless there was water handy via a river or a lake. I'd have to deal with the elements as they came.

_No wonder they try and snag interest in it young, and then encourage them to travel in groups. And the friendship shtick. People in a group can band together for a cause with much more ease than standing alone._ If I were to do this I would be a trainer of the latter case. I wouldn't be by myself though. Seviper would be with me.

_I'll be damned if I keep him in the pokeball the entire time. If I'm walking all the way he is going to travel right by my side. _No one would mess with a woman traveling alone if there was an eight foot long snake next to her. With large red fangs. And a tail blade_._ If anyone screwed with me they'd be in deep trouble. _That and I can do my part to look confident and smug for intimidation purposes._

Now I was just distracting myself with details. Which were important, but the question decided if those details needed to be concerned about was if I was going to do it.

_I don't feel comfortable with the scenario of telling Seviper what to do during battle_. He was the one fighting, defending and attacking. He was the one getting hurt. I had never been in a physical fight my entire life. How could I be a trainer when I had absolutely no idea how to train him-

_Wait_. I tasted something new in this thought. _Trainer, noun, denoting that one is teaching another in a specialized skill or profession._ I had no idea how to teach a pokemon to fight, but when the term was applied outside of the Pokemon League it implied being a coach. Athletes always did their own thing when playing a sport while their coach advised them in strategy and gave them ways to build up their bodies for maximum performance. When the moment of truth appeared the athlete would do what they were trained for knowing that their coach was there to back them up.

_I could do that. That's all knowledge and observation. Go to the library, the internet, other official sources and learn as much as I can._ Then when a battle was imminent she could tell Seviper what she knew of the other pokemon. Possible weaknesses, strengths, special abilities, etcetera. _Isn't the number of known pokemon above 300? _Bleh. I was doing it again. Refocus.

Will I become a pokemon trainer?

Looking down at him, I noticed he was dozing. Both eyes were closed and I could feel the slow rise and fall of his breathing. Occasionally his tongue would flick out and tickle me, and his coils shifted a bit as I watched them.

Rephrase that - would I become a pokemon trainer for Seviper? To support him in his endeavor to battle others pokemon for whatever his personal reason was?

_Yes,_ said her emotions.

_I don't want to_, my thoughts countered back. With discomfort I noticed. What was the reason? Running back through my prior thoughts, it came to me with a bit of time.

_It's too hard_, a little part of me whispered making the rest of her feel off balance. _Living as I do now is easy and comfortable. Why should I give up all that for him?_

_Because it will make him happy. He deserves to pick his own way after that bastard- _I mentally cut myself off, knowing I'd distract myself with creative insults and get off topic. I mulled over my discomfort. Such a simple thing, these comforts that come with living as I have. I had not realized I had grown so used to them that to do without had become unattractive to me. _Besides...it is not as if I don't have the money. You also win money from the other trainer if you win the battle. _There'd be a backpack full of things. Sleeping bag, tent, flashlight, matches, other camping materials. _I'd just be doing it until I got to another city._ . With research I could figure out what exactly to buy so I could travel light.

_It couldn't be all walking. People drive between towns._ Unless they were in a remote area. _I'll stay out of those._ Besides, just because it would be a harder life, full of many more uncertainties didn't mean I would be unhappy.

Happiness. How long had it been since I found some that wasn't short-lived? Ever since I moved away from my family, I trudged along in this town making sure I had enough money to eat, and enough sleep to function, and enough books to amuse me. If I did this I would be as free as a bird, to go at my own pace and travel. Trading certainty for freedom. I found that thought to be very appealing.

_Travel wherever we wish, hit the gyms along the way, and watch Seviper rise to become a Champion at the League tournament?_ Screw thinking. I knew in my heart what I wanted.

And so was born a trainer like the world had never seen.

* * *

><p>Author Note: And we are now finished with the prologue. Basic plot is set, but do not think that just because it is traditional that the story will be like any other. I guarantee that Gail and Seviper will show you the world as you have never read it. Everything will not fall into thier lap, nor will they have to fight with every last bit of themselves to achieve anything. Plot is a series of events that befall the characters. Characterization is what makes or breaks a story.<p>

On a semi-related note, don't be surpised if you see the summary change. I have been considering altering it to give it a bit more of my flavor, as opposed to its current purposeful blandness.

I do hope you have enjoyed what you have read so far. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a PM. I _adore_ talking about what I have created.


	7. Stepping Over the Precipice

Part I - Stepping Over the Precipice

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><p>After three months of preparation and travel, seeing Pallet come into view gave me the sharp icy thrill of the unknown.<p>

We had been lucky enough to find a gentleman who moved goods from the port south of the town into Pallet itself. He solidified Pallet's image as a city of beginnings for me. One look from those craggy dark eyes and he smiled at me.

"You here to try for the League?" He asked knowingly.

"Yes, actually-"

"Then if you want a ride to Pallet, I've got room up front for you in the cab." I took his offer, as the boat from Cinnabar to here put me in no mood to walk. The only stipulation was that Seviper wouldn't be able to fit up there with us, but he didn't mind taking an ultra ball break from the outright stares he had gotten on the ship over.

I hadn't realized that trainers and pokemon from Johto got so many stares in Kanto. My impression from the pamphlets had been that trainers from my region went to Kanto after they were done with the Johto tournament, but the staring confirmed to me that the League had painted the truth with an optimistic brush once again.

"If you don't mind some advice, ma'am, I'd try and visit the Oak Lab and Ranch. Not many people remember it from a few years back, but they opened a wing for aspiring trainers to go in an read from their public library. It doesn't cost a cent as long as you've got your trainer ID."

"...do you pick up trainers often?" My voice warbled with amusement.

"I look out for them on my way north," he admitted with a smile.

"Out of the goodness of your heart and the fact that they will tell others where they go that your company is very kind?" I pointed out. He laughed but didn't deny it. There was a tray of business cards attached to the dash and I obliged myself to one. An honest man was a man I'd do my business with if I had one.

He dropped us off at the Pokecenter, and even thought he didn't ask me for anything I tipped him a twenty and a thankful parting remark. Having been a waitress for so many years I had a high awareness that every little bit counted. You never knew when something would happen that required those few extra dollars.

Seviper was fidgeting in his way that told me he was hungry. After considering my own level of hunger I figured I could eat a little something. Looking over my shoulder at the Pokecenter I nixed the thought of eating there. Today was a special day, so we should celebrate it our way.

"You want eggs today?"

He smiled and followed me into a corner store, picking out a half-dozen carton for himself and I bought a big poppy seed muffin. Moving to an unoccupied bench along the street we claimed it and proceeded to eat and watch people pass by. It took me only two or three minutes to see a clear difference between my old town and here.

First off, Seviper wasn't the only pokemon freely walking besides their human friends. Not just the same type over and over either. Fire, grass, fighting, flying, bug- not all of them. I challenged myself to try and name each one without looking at my pokedex.

People seemed to be happier too. Not that my town was a black spot of misery and grief, but they usually weren't smiling and laughing in the street everywhere I looked. I found irony in the fact that it took being in a new city on another continent to see that. The observation gave me little more confidence that I had made the right decision. Not just for Seviper but for myself. _Self-doubt...I dislike you. Go away. _

"Don't frown, baby trainer! You're in Pallet now." A smooth male voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Town of new beginnings and all."

For being a warm sunny day, I found his choice of tank top and blue jean pants to be contradictory. And the paperboy cap, which hid most of his hair. Hats always keep a person warm, so why cook yourself? Yellow sunglasses were on his face, but you could still see his eyes through them.

"...can I help you, sir?" It was a default reply for me when I had no idea why someone was talking to me. The easy smile on his face didn't falter as he stopped by the bench, glancing at Seviper but seeming unaffected by him.

"Why yes actually," he replied crossing his arms and standing in a somewhat cocky manner. _Okay, what?_ That wasn't supposed to be a possible answer. Now I was wary. Putting my muffin down, I crossed my legs and leaned back with a neutral expression.

He was waiting for something, I didn't know what, but if he was going to ask me for help then in the technical aspect of conversation I had the upper hand as he was the one in need. And I was the one with a Seviper. Who was eyeing the man just as carefully as I was.

"Right," he continued ", I need you to let me help you."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I come from a family with a lot of money, and Grandpa has this thing where we find new trainers and help them out as they pass through here. So," he paused here for a moment, trying to find words ",would you allow me to help you out?"

Without bothering to be discreet, I scrutinized him with calculating eyes from cap to ground. On second look, I confirmed he didn't have a set of pokeballs. The fabrics his clothes were made out of weren't top dollar, and they sported a bit of wear and tear on the jeans. His sneakers though, if I recalled the brand correctly, were definitely expensive.

Not that it confirmed his status of having money, as I knew male coworkers who would put down up to a hundred on shoes and no more than twenty on any one shirt or pant. _When there is no material evidence, move to other tactics._ A quick glance up and down the road didn't reveal any other people interested in watching the two of us, so one point in his favor. _Damn, I __have__ gotten more paranoid_.

"You do realize the way you've approached this makes you sound...less than trustworthy?" I asked him tactfully. He chuckled.

"I'm grateful that you haven't walked away yet, if that helps at all."

Strangely enough, yes in a charming kind of way

"So...how would you propose helping me?" My eye was attracted to movement, flicking my gaze to Seviper I registered that he was gently moving the eggshells into the Styrofoam carton with the flat of his tail blade. I then noticed he was looking at my friend in amusement.

"Well," he started, moving his eyes back to mine ", first off, this has _got_ to go." He gestured to me, and it took me a second to realize he was referring to my clothes. I was dressed in my black work shoes, a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt. _What's wrong with this _Looking back at him quizically I realized by the sudden grin on his face that I had walked into his next line of topic like a Sentret to a picnic basket.

"Clothes are one of the strongest weapons you can have as a trainer," he lectured smoothly ", because a strong first impression can shake up your opponent before they even pick which pokemon to battle with." He gestured to Seviper. "Your friend here is an example of that. People who are unfamiliar with the Johto region would see him, compare him to the closest thing then know, most likely an Ekans, and then see the stark difference between the two." Something flitted across his face faster than I could catch it. " You've got your pokedex on you?"

"Yeah."

"Look up Ekans and compare them."

I was curious. For someone who approached with his request so strangely, he was talking a good game now. Pulling my pokedex out of the bag, it took me seconds to find it after he gave me the spelling.

_"Ekans. Poison snake pokemon. It uses tall grass to its advantage to sneak up on the nests of other pokemon when hunting. Due to its coloration, it typically feeds during dusk and dawn where it can blend more easily with the landscape."_

It was two feet shorter than a Seviper on average, but in comparison Seviper weighed an average of a hundred more pounds. Like comparing a stick to a crowbar. My pokedex closed with a snap as I looked at him again. There was a smug look on his face, and his eyes were sharp.

"The way you dress can affect how people treat you. Take me for example. I have a few set of clothes like this so I can walk around town without getting stopped on every corner." He looked down the street as if to make sure no one was looking at us.

"You get stopped by people often?"

"Not by the locals." He explained carelessly. "They know where I live and can stop by to talk any time. Its the out-of-towners that like to chat me up as soon as they lay eyes on me." I found it interesting he was pointedly not looking at me.

_There we go._ Add in the rich status and the fact he was popular enough to be recognized by people not from around here led to a simple conclusion.

"Are you a celebrity?" My tone was openly curious. Not because he was famous, but the fact he successfully stealthed around town despite his fame sounded like a neat trick.

"You don't recognize me?" He searched my face. I shook my head and shrugged.

"Nope." No idea. I didn't recognize him from any of the news or shows I watched on TV. He was probably famous in the tabloids or something.

I was startled as he started laughing. Not the deep chuckle he gave earlier, but full-blown gut-wrenching laughter. He was laughing so hard he had to crouch down and hold in his stomach to keep from falling over. By the time he had composed himself, I had already gathered up Seviper's egg carton leftovers and thrown them away in the trashcan a bit down the way. The remains of the muffin was stowed in my bag in case I got peckish later.

"Will you _please_ let me help you out?" He asked earnestly. In a smooth motion he stood up and started bouncing on his toes. "Really, this will be like a vacation for me. As long as you don't ask me who I am." He flashed a cocky grin. "It'll be more fun this way."

"So to summarize," I stepped in ", you want to buy me clothes because your grandfather has a thing for helping out new trainers?"

"...and maaaaaybe a couple other things. It depends on what you've got stocked in your bag." He had the look of experience on his face. "There are just some things a trainer's _got_ to have on the road. I can't tell you how many times a small square of tarp has helped."

"You're a trainer too?" He hadn't mentioned that. "So...where are your pokemon?"

"I'm a retired trainer actually, and they are back at my house. Probably napping in the field as we speak, the lazy brats," he explained. There was an undercurrent of affection in his words, and it helped to decide me.

"If they don't mind, can I meet them later?"

He waved a hand nonchalantly. "We'll see. Depends on how long this takes." A single glance at what I was wearing. "Is this how you usually dress?"

"Pants are more my thing, but besides that yeah."

A single nod of acknowledgement. There was a thinking look on his face, brow furrowed as his thoughts whirled and mixed.

_He's like me_. The thought hit me with all the finesse of a kid in a candy store. We both thought through decisions and courses of actions before committing. This was comforting.

"Okay," he started suddenly ", as we're walking over to a couple of good stores I know, we can talk about what kind of trainer you are and what image you want to present. That sound good to you?"

"Teach me, oh Master of Image, and I shall learn." I was smiling, looking forward to where this day was taking me.

His grin was even wider than mine.

Over the course of four hours, Mr. E as I dubbed him, initiated me to the world of trainer clothing. I had no idea that there were lines of clothing just for trainers. Literally. He pointed out fabrics and trimmings that made a certain jacket better over another, and explained to me why they had an advantage.

I was more of a practical dresser. After determining that and my favorite colors he was off. Zooming between racks and walls he picked out a plethora of things to try on. First to determine size and then to make sure they fit right.

True to his word, he paid for everything, and I felt indebted to him for it. It wasn't cheap. He assured me that this was completely worth it.

"It's expensive because it's meant to last a couple of years. If you're handy with a needle, it'll last twice that if you don't mind that bit of shabby."

I've fixed quite a few rips and tears in my pre-trainer days. I already had mini sewing kit in my bag.

Walking out of that store I felt like I gained a wardrobe. Three sets of identical cargo pants in black with a lot of side pockets and a zipper above each knee so that I could turn them into shorts when it was warm out. Four tank tops, two in a dark red and two in a calm yellow, both colors reminiscent of Seviper's scales, a pair of ankle high hiking boots in a dark grey color, and finally a jacket that I _adored_. My eyes spotted it before Mr. E did and he approved of it, citing a rule of his that a trainer had to have a signature piece of clothing so that no matter what else you wore people would know that it was you. Then made me swear that I would always wear it. _That was an easy promise._

It was a dark purple with hook fastenings on the inside to keep it closed. A black stripe ran around the outside of the hood and ended where the first fastener was hidden. The one part that grabbed me the most was the fact there was a zipper underneath the bust line so that when it was warm out you could remove the bottom half of the jacket, turning into a bolero for comfort. There were two pockets on the inside of the jacket, a small one on the top half before the zipper and a larger one on the bottom half both on the same side.

Mr. E insisted that I walk out in my new look. Not only did I do that, I asked him where the donation box was so I could keep my bag light. I didn't want the clothes I packed to go to waste.

"You...are a nice person. You know that?" His observation caused me to raise an eyebrow.

"...and...that's...a bad thing?" Again. He made me wonder.

"No, no. I'm just pleasantly surprised." Someone greeted him as we walked, and he waved back. "Enough that I felt I should say so."

"Thank you." He had been a perfect gentleman the entire time, and I felt like I hadn't said that enough to him today.

Seviper was to the right of me, and Mr. E to the left of me as we walked. My friend had been extremely patient the entire time we had wandered from store to store. He poked his head into displays and basically explored every inch of each place before settling himself by the dressing room and dozing while Mr. E and I shopped. I reached out a hand placed it on his neck for a moment before pulling away. He responded by butting his head against my shoulder.

"You two are pretty close." Mr. E stated, amusement on his face.

"Yeah, he's a great friend."

Seviper darted suddenly, and recognizing the motion I held still as he wrapped around me in a hug before slithering off. Mr. E chuckled.

"He thinks the same of you." He responded for Seviper, and the pokemon's head nodded in confirmation with a smile.

"For a Seviper he's in pretty good health. Do you feed him eggs often?"

"At least twice a week. If I have a little bit more money than I expected I like to buy them instead of pokechow." I chuckled as Seviper made a face. Over the past couple months he had adopted my opinion of pokechow, but when it was all I could afford he never complained.

"You can tell by the shine on a scaly pokemon how healthy they are. Not blinding mind you, that isn't possible on most, but even how a pokemon looks can tell you something about them." He lectured, his tone casual.

I made a face at his statement and he looked at me curiously.

"Well...I've been trying to learn as much about all pokemon as fast as I can." I informed him. "That way I can help Seviper out with the knowledge."

"When did you become a trainer?"

"Three months ago."

He whistled. "You can't expect to know everything in a year, much less three months."

"I don't," I defended ", which is why I was thinking about staying in Pallet for a while. I heard from my ride from the port that the Oak Lab has a small library for interested trainers." With my words he looked like he was considering something again.

"Out of curiosity, how many battles have you fought?"

"Me personally? None." He started to open his mouth and I stalled him with an open hand "Seviper on the other hand has battle a few times on the ships over here." I made a face. "I didn't know that travel by water made most trainers battle hungry."

"And how'd they turn out?"

"Oh, Seviper won..." I mentally tallied "...seven and we lost two." _And he was amazing._ Watching battles on the League channel was _extremely_ different from watching one in real life.

"He's your only pokemon?"

"The only one registered to my care," I corrected lightly. Pokemon weren't something you owned. _I am going to clock Casford if I see him again_.

"Are you going to-" He cut himself off as his cell phone rang, holding up a finger to signal that he needed a minute. I busied myself by looking around at the people and scenery. When he finished, he looked at me with an apologetic look.

"Grandpa needs me back at the house," he sighed ", so I'll have to show you my pokemon another time." The cocky grin was back. "If Seviper feels up to it, maybe my team and he could have a match."

Seviper answered for himself with an excited hiss and head nod. Then threw in a fighting pose to show his eagerness.

"Would you like my number then, so you can call me when you're free?" I offered. Celebrities almost always had other engagements, so it would work out better for the both of us if he called me when he found time. There was laughter in his eyes as looked at me.

"As long as you'll take mine. That way you'll know it's me calling."

Agreeing, we traded numbers. I was amused as he was walking backwards as he typed. Maybe that phone call put him in a hurry?

"I'll catch you later, Gail," he called to me with a wave ", and you better be ready to fight with all you've got Seviper!" With that he turned and jogged away.

"See you then!" I called after him.

As he turned the corner and exited my view, I turned to Seviper with a face.

"I'm tired after all that. What about you?"

He shrugged his coils, and I recalled that he had taken naps throughout the past few hours.

"Would you mind if we got a room at the Pokecenter and stay there for the rest of the day?" Oak Lab could wait. _Not like it has legs or something._

With an agreeable nod we changed course towards the Pokecenter, content that all would be well on the morrow.

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><p>Author Note: So starts the main event. As some fo you may already know from my profile status on this story I will be posting two chapters at a time, the main chapter and a following interlude.<p>

The purpose of the interludes are for one of two reasons (and sometimes the both of them). Either I am revealing information that Gail would/could not know, or to show the affect she has had on someone or something. Besides, switching between first and third (limited) points of view can be a bit jarring, and I deemed it best to seperate the two by posting them seperately. In this manner will you see the entirety of what I am crafting.


	8. Interlude: The Affects of Time

Interlude I - The Affects of Time

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><p>He stepped inside the main lab as he pulled the paper boy cap off his head, running a hand through to restore its usual bounce.<p>

"I'm back, Grandpa," he projected, knowing his voice would travel through the echoing halls where he was awaited.

"I'm in the second work room," a frail voice called back.

Hanging the cap on one of the coat hooks he reached for a lab coat, shrugging it on with habitual motions. Entering the workroom, he found his grandfather sitting at the chair before the main database computers. His cane was propped next to him in easy reach, the sight of it familiar and inevitable. With the way the light was falling through the window and into the room it reminded him of a time years ago where his grandfather stood proud on both legs and strolled through the labs without the fear of breaking something if he fell.

"I'm sorry for calling you back so early. Delia needed some help."

"It's fine. Someone needs to be there when Ash won't get off his butt and-"

"Gary," the esteemed Professor chided half-heartedly. His grandson rolled his eyes, but they both knew there wasn't much heat beneath the words. A little annoyance, but no anger. Thinking of which-

"I found a trainer to sponsor this month, so you don't have to worry about it." Gary passed on, knowing that if he didn't this week his grandfather would grab his cane and make his slow and steady way into town to do so. Get surrounded by crowds. Be asked endless questions. And the old man would stand there with a smile and keep going until they were all answered or one of the locals stepped in to break up the crowd.

"Whose the lucky girl this time?" Grandfather had a knowing look. Which then morphed into a curious face as Gary didn't answer right away, and with patience won of old age he waited.

"She's from Johto." He started, and then stopped. For some reason words weren't coming to him, so he just described. " 'Bout yay tall, with rectangle lenses and brown curly hair. So far all she has is a Seviper but-" he whistled in appreciation "he is in fighting prime."

"You thinking about battling against them?"

"I want to." Gary's eyes looked in the direction of the field. "She started only three months ago, so I figure I can teach her a thing or two beyond what I-" He cut himself off. Professor Oak raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't just hand her money and follow her around to keep her from getting lost?"

He couldn't look at his grandfather now. Not that he was embarrassed but he knew the old man was just as sharp as he was, if not sharper because of experience. He was mentally picking words when his thought became unnecessary.

"She was interesting" the professor concluded "Was she above what you usually expected, or did she go beyond that line?"

Gary tossed away all intent of keeping that part of the day to himself. He recognized the look on his face as intense concentration. Most people credit his grandfather's natural talent for the profession as the secret to his success, but his grandson knew better. As soon as the good professor started concentrating on something with ever fiber of his being, there was no way he'd let it go until he gently pulled everything he could learn out of it.

"Observant _and_ quick," he listed off ",very fun to hang out with. She had no idea who I was, and when she realized I must be a celebrity of some sort I asked her not to inquire _and she didn't_." There was amusement on his grandfather's face. "You might meet her later. She plans on staying in Pallet a while to take advantage of the library wing."

"I might have to steal her from you," the professor teased.

"Graaandpaaaaaa," Gary anguished, not wanting the mental image.

"What nickname did you use, so I'll know to get you if she inquires?"

"I didn't give her one. She literally has no idea who I am."

"Wanting to play the mysterious card this time?"

"She calls me, Mr. E." Gary finally answered with a grin. It took a few moments for his father to register the phonetic implication which then started him into soft laughter.

"I'll have to wear my best lab coat." The old man teased once more, but this time Gary wasn't going to take it.

"Make Tracey draw something dashing on the back. Then she'll remember you for all time." His voice was flat, but his eyes were widened comically.

"No, I think I'll just have him draw a picture of me without a shirt sporting a well defined body, but keep my face the same."

Gary laughed this time, as his grandfather sighed in fake anticipation. Managing to reign in his amusement, he brought up something that had been pulling at the back of his mind. The appearance of a semi-unsure look on his face, grabbed the professor's attention.

"Have you ever gotten this weird...feeling in your gut? Like you know something but you don't and you're so certain of it you'd never think otherwise?" He said carefully, hoping he didn't sound crazy. Gary was surprised as a broad grin was his answer, feeling more unsure as his beaming grandfather appraised him with a proud gaze.

"I wondered if you'd get it," he thought aloud ", and let me tell you, that it is _very_ handy"

"Get what?"

"The Oak family instinct," was the explanation ", I remember back when you were born and I was holding you, and you were innocent and-"

"Grandpa!"

"Right. To the point. I knew in that moment that you would become a great man." He stated solemnly.

"That doesn't count, of course I was going to be great." His confidence never wavered. It was something he had always known. He was just grateful that all the vinegar got knocked out of him when he was younger. Looking back at when he just started out, even he was annoyed with himself.

"I got the same feeling from Ash." The professor informed him, eyes remembering something long ago.

"Is that why you treated him like a special case? Giving him a pokemon even though he was late." Gary grumbled "...though I won't deny that he's become great."

"You should tell him that one day. I would imagine the look in his face would be worth it," while his expression was serious, he could see the quirking of his lips the implied he was trying not to smile. "What do you feel from this young woman?"

Gary exhaled loudly. "If I had words for it, I'd have said them by now."

"As long as you keep listening it'll keep talking," the professor casually explained. Holding back the need to sigh, Gary recalled why he was here.

"How far did Tracey get before he left?"

"The food is pulled out but not distributed."

"Well," Gary stretched his arms above his head "I'd better start now, or I'm likely to get tackled by several hundred starving pokemon."

"I'm sure your team won't let you come to any harm," the proffessor helpfully pointed out.

"True, but they'd probably be on the ground laughing as I was dowsed by several different water based attacks," he returned, rolling his eyes.

"By the time you finish you'll most likely be dry."

Turning his back to his grandfather with an acknowledging wave of his hand there was a smile on his face. The old man was always the eternal optimist.

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><p>Author Note: Points to those who had already guessed the identity of the young man. I have a lot more fun writing Gary then I had thought I would [grins] For those of you who think of such things, this does not automatically mean romance so please do not assume such. I do hope you found this interlude to be as much fun reading as it is following Gail.<p> 


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